creative writing grants and fellowships

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32 grants and fellowships for writers (up to $75,000).

These are grants/fellowships/residencies for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, for playwrights, and journalists. They’re either open now, or will open soon for applications. None of these charge an application fee, and pay from a few hundred dollars up to $75,000. – S. Kalekar

Brown University’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America: Practitioner Fellows This is for artists, media makers, and writers. Their guidelines say, “CSREA invites artists, media makers, and writers whose work focuses on race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity in the United States to apply to be a Practitioner Fellow for the Spring 2023 academic semester. Fellows will have access to Brown University resources and are invited to contribute to the academic community. Projects should focus at least in part on issues of race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity in the United States, or U.S.-related transnational contexts.” Also, “This program is a virtual spring semester fellowship. The terms of the program may be subject to change.” Some events are virtual, and some are in-person, according to current guidelines. Value: $10,000 stipend, up to $1,500 each in research/project funds Deadline: 28 February 2022 Open for: Unspecified Details here .

Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center: Writer in Residence The residency includes lodging at a loft apartment in Piggott, Arkansas. The writer-in-residence will also have the opportunity to work in the studio where Ernest Hemingway worked on ‘ A Farewell to Arms’ . The writer is expected to serve as mentor for a week-long retreat for writers at the educational center. Candidates with an MA or MFA in a relevant field are preferred. Value: $1,000, residency Deadline: 28 February 2022 Open for: Unspecified Details here .

A Public Space Writing Fellowship This is an international six-month fellowship for emerging writers, and the aim is “to seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision.” Three fellowships will be awarded. Writers get editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine; an honorarium; the opportunity to meet virtually with members of the publishing community, including agents, editors, and published writers; the opportunity to participate in a public reading and conversation with A Public Space editors and contributors. As part of the application process, writers have to submit a prose piece, up to 8,000 words; if selected, the piece submitted will be the piece published in the magazine. Value: $1,000 each Application period: 1-31 March 2022 Open for: Writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a book-length work Details here (announcement with Submittable link)

Scripps Fellowships for Environmental Journalism Five fellowships are awarded each year at the University of Boulder, Colorado. This is for journalists interested in deepening and broadening their knowledge of environmental issues. Applicants must have a minimum of five years full-time professional journalism experience and have completed an undergraduate degree. Applicants may include reporters, editors, producers, photojournalists, documentarians, and feature writers. Both salaried staff and full-time freelancers are welcome to apply. Prior experience in covering the environment is not required. They welcome applications from international applicants; however, the applicants must be authorized to work in the US to be eligible for this position. Value: $71,000 Deadline: 1 March 2022 Open for: All journalists (see above) Details here (general information), here (FAQ), and here (application portal).

Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship Applicants must have covered international news as a working journalist for print, broadcast, or online media widely available in the United States, and must be US citizens. The Fellow spends nine months full-time in residence at the Council for Foreign Relations’ headquarters in New York. The program enables the Fellow to engage in sustained analysis and writing, expand his or her intellectual and professional horizons, and extensively participate in CFR’s active program of meetings and events. Value: $75,000 and a modest travel grant Deadline: 1 March 2022 Open for: US citizens Details here .

Biographers International Organization: The Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship The fellowship is open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English, who are working on a biography of an African American figure (or figures), and who are at any stage in the writing of a book-length biography. A publishing contract is not required for eligibility. Memoirs are not eligible. The application includes an excerpt of up to 20 pages. The Biographers International Organization also has other awards , some of which are open for all writers, as well as other resources. Value: $2,000 Deadline: 1 March 2022 Open for: All biographers Details here .

Poetry Foundation: Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships These fellowships are for young poets who are US residents or citizens. Their guidelines say, “Each year, submissions for the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships open in March. … In line with the ongoing examination of all existing processes and policies across the Poetry Foundation, the submissions and selection processes will be thoroughly examined and discussed before the Foundation begins accepting applications for the 2022 Fellowships.” Application period: Will likely begin in March 2022 Value: Fellowships of $25,800 each (see here ) Open for: US poets aged 21-31 years Details here (see ‘Information on This Year’s Process at the bottom of the page).

The Creative Capital Awards Submissions for these awards will open in March. They are for US-based artists, and they’ll will be accepting applications for different disciplines each year. The cycle for 2023 includes literature (fiction, poetry, non-fiction, genre-defying literary work, and socially engaged and/or sustainable text-based practices). The theme is ‘Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact’. The awards are “designed to assist artists who are working at the vanguard of their fields, or who have ideas to propel their artistic practices forward”. They accept proposals from collaborators, as well. They have extensive guidelines. For this cycle they’ll also accept applications for performing arts (including sound and multimedia performance, and more), and technology (including digital art, gaming, interdisciplinary arts, and more). They will award 50 fellowships per cycle. Value: $50,000 each, and an additional set of services Application period: 1 March-1 April 2022 Open for: US writers (see guidelines) Details here .

National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing Fellowships This is for US-based writers, and they are accepting applications for poetry this year. While the deadline is 10 th March, they recommend submitting applications early. Several fellowships are awarded. Value: Up to $25,000 Deadline: 10 March 2022 Open for: US writers Details here .

The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship This is a residency/fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. “The mission of the Joan Shorenstein Fellowship is to advance research in the field of media, politics and public policy; facilitate a dialogue among journalists, scholars, policymakers and students; provide an opportunity for reflection; … The primary focus for a Fellow is to research, write and publish a paper on a media/politics topic.” Also, “Past fellows include journalists from local, national and international TV, radio, print, and digital media; media and civic technology innovators; nonfiction authors; political advisors and policymakers; leading academic scholars in fields such as media research and political science; and policy analysts. Successful former fellows have come from a variety of backgrounds and career stages.” Applicants must be a working journalist, politician, scholar or policymaker currently or recently active in the field. For the Fall semester, the deadline is in March; for the Spring semester, the deadline is in September. Value: $30,000; residency Deadline: 15 March 2022 Open for: Non-fiction authors and journalists Details here .

Hugo House Writer-in-Residence This residency in Seattle is for practicing, published writers and writing teachers who are experienced working with writers of all levels in a traditional workshop setting, and on a one-on-one basis as a mentor. For this cycle, they are accepting applications for two writers in residence, one for poetry, and one for prose. They should have a specific artistic project they are working on during their residency (e.g., developing a manuscript for publication) and should have a special interest in helping writers become better writers and fostering an appreciation of the craft. The application includes a writing sample. Their guidelines also say, “If you do not meet some of the eligibility requirements, but have demonstrated success in other categories, our panel will weigh the components of your application accordingly. Also, “Writers-in-Residence teach a minimum of two six-week classes per calendar year (subject to approval) as part of the Hugo Classes program and will receive separate compensation for teaching.” Value: $500 per month for 12 months, additional compensation for Hugo Classes Deadline: 31 March 2022 Open for: Published writers Details here .

PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative This is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. Various deadlines are listed for 2022, and the next one is 1 st April. Other deadlines are in June, August, October, and December. Writers do not have to be PEN members to apply. Value: Unspecified Deadline: 1 April 2022 Open for: US writers Details here .

The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers These three-month fellowships are to afford writers uninterrupted time to focus on their work at an apartment in Carson McCuller’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages. Value: $5,000, residency Deadline: 1 April 2022 Open for: Unspecified Details here .

Alpine Fellowship Prizes: Three prizes for creative writers Apart from themed Poetry, Writing, and Theatre prizes detailed below, they also have a Visual Arts Prize , and an Academic Writing Prize . The theme for the 2022 symposium is Freedom . Applicants can enter more than one prize in a single year, but it must be with different pieces of work; one piece of work can only be entered once. — Poetry Prize: This international prize is awarded for poetry on the Freedom theme. Writers can submit one poem or a collection, of up to 500 words. Winners and runners up will be invited to attend the symposium. Value: £3,000 Deadline: 1 April 2022 Open for: All poets Details here and here . — Writing Prize: This international prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the Freedom theme (up to 2,500 words in any genre except poetry), which is the theme of the 2022 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. The winner and two runners-up will be invited to attend the symposium. Value: £10,000, £3,000, £2,000 Deadline: 1 April 2022 Open for: All writers Details here and here .

— Theatre Prize: This prize is awarded for the best play on the Freedom theme. It is aimed at encouraging theatre writers at the start of their careers to explore and challenge philosophical ideas using the dramatic form. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a rehearsed reading at the Fellowship’s annual Symposium to which they will be invited to attend. Runners up will be invited to attend the symposium to exhibit their work. To apply, applicants must send: 1) A treatment of your idea in response to the theme; up to 500 words; 2) A sample of previous work of at least 10 pages; and 3) A 3-4 sample pages of your proposed script or a 1-2 detailed page synopsis of your story. The final piece must be 45 minutes in length and require no more than four actors. Value: £3,000 Deadline: 1 April 2022 Open for: All playwrights Details here and here .

2022 ALTA Travel Fellowship Each year, fellowships are awarded to emerging translators (someone who does not yet have a book-length work of translation published or under contract) to help them pay for hotel and travel expenses to the annual American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) conference. Part of the application requirement is up to 10 pages of translated work (poetry or prose – see guidelines). Among the fellowships is the Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship, which is preferentially awarded to an emerging translator of color or a translator working from an underrepresented Diaspora or stateless language. Also see ALTA’s other awards for published works, some of which do not charge a submission fee. Also, “Information about the upcoming conference format, and the format that the annual Travel Fellowships will take, is forthcoming.” Value: $500-1,000 each Deadline: 18 April 2022 Open for: Unspecified Details here and here (scroll down).

Whiting Foundation: Creative Nonfiction Grant Up to 10 grants will be awarded to writers of creative non-fiction books – projects must be under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada to be eligible. Contracts with self-publishing companies are not eligible. The subjects are history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, the sciences, philosophy, criticism, food or travel writing, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing, after significant work has been accomplished. The work should be intended for general, not academic, audiences. One of the application requirements is sample chapters, up to 25,000 words. Value: $40,000 each Deadline: 25 April 2022 Open for: Nonfiction books contracted with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada Details here and here .

Waterston Desert Writing Prize

This prize is for a proposed book of literary non-fiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy – with the desert both as subject and setting. Writing samples about deserts and natural settings are more likely to be reviewed favorably. Apart from the cash award, there is also a residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Value: $3,000, residency Deadline: 1 May 2022 Open for: All writers Details here and here .

CINTAS Foundation: Fellowship in Creative Writing This is a creative writing fellowship for writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applications can be in English or Spanish. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. The foundation also offers fellowships for other disciplines – architecture & design, music composition, and visual arts (click the ‘Fellowships’ tab on top of the page). Value: $20,000 Deadline: 1 May 2022 Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage Details here .

Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants They are open for regular grants, and for expedited grants, as well (see guidelines). These are for articles by US journalists that break new ground and expose wrongdoing – such as corruption, malfeasance, or abuse of power – in the public and private sectors. FIJ encourages proposals written for ethnic media as well as those submitted by journalists of color. Also, “To be considered, foreign-based story proposals must come from US-based reporters or have a strong US angle involving American citizens, government, or business; all stories must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.” Value: Up to $10,000 Deadline: 2 May 2022 Open for: US-based journalists and writers; and see guidelines for foreign-based proposals Details here .

Academy of American Poets: James Laughlin Award This is for a second full-length poetry manuscript by a US poet, contracted by a publisher. Manuscripts have to be 48-100 pages long. Translations and new editions of previously published books are not eligible. Apart from a cash prize, the poet also receives an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Value: $5,000, residency Deadline: 15 May 2022 Open for: US poets (see guidelines) Details here .

Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing This award is for an outstanding mid-career editorial writer or columnist to help broaden his or her journalistic horizons and knowledge of the world. The annual award can be used to cover the cost of study, research and/or travel in any field. The fellowship results in editorials and other writings, including books. One of the eligibility requirements is, the candidate must hold a position as a part-time or full-time editorial writer or columnist at a news publication located in the US. Applications also are welcome from freelance opinion writers who devote a majority of their time, or derive a majority of their income, from that pursuit. The application includes five samples of editorials or columns. (There is also the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award of $10,000, for a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment; the entrants need not be journalists.) Value: $75,000 Deadline: 20 June 2022 Open for: Editorial writer/columnist at a news publication in the US Details here .

Society of Authors’ grants for works in progress: Two awards They have two grants for works in progress and the form is the same, for both. There are two rounds of funding annually, and deadlines are 1 February and 1 July. The Society of Authors also has other grants it administers. — Authors’ Foundation Grants: These are for authors of fiction, non-fiction or poetry who are contracted, or who are published and working on a project that is likely to have interest from a British publisher. They are for works in progress. Value: Unspecified Deadline: 1 July 2022 Open for: Unspecified Details here .

— K. Blundell Trust Award: This is a work-in-progress award for young British writers of fiction or non-fiction. The work must contribute to the greater understanding of existing social and economic organisation. Value: Up to approximately £6,000 Deadline: 1 July 2022 Open for: British writers under 40 who have had at least one book published (see guidelines) Details here (scroll down).

Pulitzer Center: Connected Coastlines Grants This is an opportunity for US-based journalists. The Pulitzer Center is seeking applications from journalists who want to report stories as part of Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in US coastal states. Started in 2019, this initiative is building a consortium of newsrooms and independent journalists across the US to report on the local effects of erratic weather patterns on coastal populations using the latest climate science. Their guidelines say, “We are eager to receive proposals from staff journalists and freelancers who wish to report on coastal stories, underpinned by recent climate science, data, or research, for publication or broadcast by small and regional news outlets in U.S. coastal states.” They prioritize proposals that can be completed in 1-4 months. The ideal range for most awards will be between $2,000 to $8,000. (The Pulitzer Center also has several other resources, including grants and fellowships – click on the ‘Grants & Fellowships’ tab on top of this page .) Value: $2,000-8,000 Deadline: Rolling Open for: US-based journalists Details here .

The Sidney Hillman Foundation: Labor and Workforce Reporting Grants Their guidelines say, “Please submit a well-focused story proposal of no more than three pages. Think of it as a pitch, much like you would submit to an editor: give us enough preliminary reporting and documentation to demonstrate that the story is solid. The proposal should highlight what’s new and significant about the story, why it matters now, any unique access or documents you may have, and what its potential impact might be.” Journalists must have an outlet already attached. This foundation also administers the Hillman Prize for Journalism for US and Canadian journalists, the deadline for which has passed for this year. Value: Up to $5,000 Deadline: Rolling Open for: Unspecified Details here .

Authors League Fund This emergency fund helps US-based writers, regardless of citizenship status or nationality, and American writers living abroad. It is for authors, dramatists, journalists, critics, short story writers, and poets. Recipients must be career writers with a substantial body of work in one of more of the following categories: 1) Book authors with at least one title published by an established traditional publisher. Authors with multiple titles are given priority; 2) Dramatists whose full-length plays have been produced in mid-size or large theaters and/or published by established dramatic presses; 3) Journalists, critics, essayists, short story writers, and poets with a substantial body of work in periodicals with a national or broad circulation. Common circumstances include: major income loss, including due to COVID-19; illness, or supporting a dependent family member in ill health; overwhelming medical or dental bills; imminent eviction and other forms of housing insecurity; struggling after a natural disaster. They help writers at all stage of life, though priority is given to sick and/or older writers.

Value: Unspecified Deadline: Rolling Open for: US-based writers and American writers living abroad Details here .

American Society of Journalists and Authors: Writers Emergency Assistance Fund The fund is for helping established freelance writers who, because of advanced age, illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis are unable to work. Writers need not be members of ASJA, but must have credentials that would qualify them for an ASJA membership. Value: Unspecified Deadline: Rolling Open for: Established freelance writers Details here .

Writers’ Trust of Canada: Woodcock Fund This is a last-resource emergency resource for Canadian writers who face unforeseen financial crisis, who are actively working on a literary project. Eligible categories are fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, playwriting, or children’s literature. The program is not intended to be a means of support for writers challenged to earn an income. A crisis of some nature is necessary to be considered. The program does not support screenwriting, journalism, academic works, educational or technical texts, travel guides or other service-focused texts, or formulaic romance writing. Value: CAD2,000-10,000 Deadline: Rolling Open for: Canadian citizens who have published at least two books, or an equivalent body of work Details here and here .

SFWA Emergency Medical Fund

This is a fund created by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, to help SF/fantasy writers pay for funds not covered by medical insurance. The fund is only to cover short-term medical expenses, for emergencies that interfere with the ability to write. Value: Unspecified Deadline: Rolling Open for: Unspecified Details here .

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) helps authors across the literary spectrum: novelists, poet and playwrights; writers of short stories and writers for children; crime writers, science writers, biographers. The circumstances of those they help vary greatly. Writers can apply for help from the RLF if they are suffering financial hardship and have had several works published in the UK for a general readership, without publication being subsidised. Self-published authors are not eligible. The RLF Committee has to pass applicants for literary merit before they are eligible for help. The committee meets eleven times a year to consider applications. A decision on literary merit and on the award of a grant/pension is made at the same meeting; the applicant is informed straightaway. Value: Unspecified Deadline: Rolling Open for: Those who’ve had several works published in the UK Details here and here .

Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here .

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CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS: Program Description

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted writing sample. Through this program, the NEA seeks to sustain and nurture a diverse range of creative writers at various stages of their careers and to continue to expand the portfolio of American art.

The NEA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and fostering mutual support for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups.

The program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. For FY 2025, which is covered by these guidelines, fellowships in poetry are available. Fellowships in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) will be offered in FY 2026 and guidelines will be available in January 2025. You may apply only once each year .

Competition for fellowships is extremely rigorous. We typically receive more than 1,600 applications each year in this category and award fellowships to fewer than 3% of applicants.

We Do Not Fund

Individuals who previously received two or more Literature Fellowships (poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowships from the NEA.
Individuals who received any Literature Fellowship (poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts on or after January 1, 2016.
News reporting.
Scholarly writing. (Writers who are engaged in scholarly work may wish to contact the National Endowment for the Humanities .)
Work toward academic degrees.

Deadline and Announcement Dates

You must submit applications electronically through Grants.gov, the federal government’s online application system. The Grants.gov system must receive your validated and accepted application no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on March 13, 2024. Late applications are not accepted.

Expect notification of awards and rejections no sooner than December 2024. The fellowship period may begin any time between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, and extend for up to two years.